He stalls this time with a roguish grin on his face. “Well . . . that might have to wait for another time.” He glances over and taps me on the nose. “Happy now?”
“Happy that I’m sleeping with the fifth generation of the building that holds my major?” I grin wildly. I move on top of him and straddle his deliciously muscular legs. “That’s not what got me into bed.”
Taking the bait, he drops the bottle on the floor next to the bed and grabs my ass, squeezing my cheeks and causing pressure between us. My body slickens against his length, and I bite my lip.
“What got you into bed, babe?”
I lean down and kiss him with all the passion he’s shown me, and then whisper, “Meeting the right guy.”
16
Cooper
Dawn steals the night away from us, peeking in the crack where the shade doesn’t fully close and the sheer curtains won’t hide us away from the rest of the world.
Although I only got a few hours of sleep, Story is sleeping soundly wrapped over me. She doesn’t realize that I’m completely wrapped up in her.
I never believed I deserved anything so good or pure, someone who looks at me not like I’m who they want me to be but for who I am. Or maybe it’s just because I’ve never met anyone like her.
Generous to a fault.
Charitable heart.
Thoughtful.
And smart.
The first time she spoke to me, I understood why Lou had a crush on her because I felt the same. It was as if I was the only one in the room with her. That’s who Story is—she makes you feel important as if you’re the only one who matters.
I’m still not sure how I’m the lucky bastard holding her now. And fuck. I took her virginity. I look down at her in my arms and how perfectly she fits there and grin like a fucking fool. Taking a V-card has never been a goal of mine, though I’ve had a few given to me over the years.
I don’t know. I keep coming back to the same thing. There’s something different, deeper, the two of us are sharing. I just wished I’d earned hers and given her a night she’d never forget.
Stirring, she keeps her eyes closed as she licks her lips, and the smallest smile exists from her sweet dreams. I wonder if I’ve made any appearances. She’s provided me plenty of material for dreams to jerk off to and get me through the next month.
What am I saying?
That I’m off the market?
A taken man?
Story’s boyfriend?
The last one fits the best, but that’s a big step in a direction I don’t usually travel. So why am I even considering a relationship with her? I’ll fuck it up somehow.
“Cooper?”
Looking down, I see her pretty hazels gazing up at me. “It’s early. You should be sleeping.”
“You should too, but here we are.”
“Yeah,” I say, adjusting on the bed so I’m at eye level with her. “Here we are.”
Reaching out, she runs her fingertips along my hairline and around my ears. “You look like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders. Want to talk about it?”
“We only have a few more hours, so I’m not sure I want to open that baggage and waste the time we have left.”
“How much time do we have left?” A yawn captures her despite a fight to stave it off.
“I’ll hit the road around ten to make it home when I’m expected.”
“I’m not sure what to think about your family. It sounds like they’ve put a lot of pressure on you for some reason. I’m not asking you for the details, but I wish it didn’t weigh on you like this.” With her hand resting on the curve of my neck, so comfortable lying together naked, she says, “You said you have an apartment, but if they’re tied to the university and kicking you out, you can stay here with me. Heck, even if they’re not kicking you out, you can stay if you want.”
Her generosity is on display again, and I don’t mind being on the receiving end of it. I just wish I could take her up on the offer. What if I lived like she did, willing to give more than I receive? What would I do? “Where are you spending Christmas?”
She crickets her legs, rubbing them together. “In this bed waiting for you to return.”
“You’re very enticing, Ms. Salenger.”
“Only when I want something.” Maybe it’s the early morning voice that makes her sound so seductive, but she knows what she wants.
And I’m game to play. “Oh, yeah? What do you want?”
Pushing forward, she kisses my chin and then moves down to my neck. “How much time do you need to pack?”
“Thirty minutes. Tops.”
“Good,” she replies. “I’m going to need the other three hours before you leave.” Shifting down, she starts to slip under the covers.
Catching her arms before she disappears, I say, “I want that. So badly. I want to see your mouth wrapped around me. But—”
“But?” Her lips are just barely parted as she waits with bated breath.
“You said you’re staying to work, but what about Christmas Day?” She barely has time to take a breath to answer before I add, “What if you came home with me? Or for a visit? You can spend Christmas with my family.”
“I’ll be honest, you haven’t done a great job of selling your family to me.”
“No, but you being there will keep them on their best behavior. Ultimately though, you’d be there with me.”
“For you,” she corrects, seeing right through my plan.
I eat some humble pie and give her the credit she deserves. “Okay, for me.”
“Who’s the enticing one now, Mr. Haywood?” Fuck, that’s hot. This time, I lie back and let her slide under the covers. Rolling down the blanket, I watch her take me in—just a little at first and then deeper—before slipping my hand into her hair and closing my eyes to let the pleasure rip through me.
Waking Story up seems cruel after the activities of the past twelve hours, so I let her sleep instead. But this debate is getting the best of me, so I stop to rub my brow and think through how to end this.
Best?
Always?
Is always true?
Love?
No. Too soon for that.
Sincerely?
That works.
I sign, Sincerely, Cooper, at the bottom of the letter and then set the pen down on the desk beside it. I look around once more before I head to the door and open it. Stopping, I take a deep breath, still not sure if I want to leave.
I know I have to, but it’s not what I’d choose if given a choice.
“You’re just going to sneak out like that?” I look back to see her propped up on her elbows. “I don’t like going to bed with you, then finding it empty in the morning.”
“I’m sorry.” I fill her doorway, my shoes full of emotional cement keeping me here. “You looked peaceful. I didn’t want to ruin it.”
A small smile appears, hard-earned it seems. “For the past two years, I’ve spent it with Lila, my manager—my friend from work—and her son. But I have no plans for Christmas. It’s just me since my mom died.”
Leaning against the doorframe, I settle in because I want to hear anything she’s willing to share. “Where’s your dad?”
“I don’t know,” she replies as if I’ve asked her something mundane and matter of fact. “I don’t even know who he is other than a one-night stand my mom once had.”
“Men are assholes.”
She laughs, rolling onto her side, head propped up on her hand, looking every bit as youthful as she is. “My mom liked to sleep around. It wasn’t about the sex. It was about the attention. She’d drink it like a shot, getting drunk on the foreplay of a man’s admiration.”
I’m not sure what to say about that or what to think. I’m all for people owning their desires, but I don’t think I’d want to know that about my mom, speaking as her kid. It sounds like Story had a front row seat to the show. Not wanting to inject my own theories, I decide that listening is best.